Light My Fire
by Iris Of The Open Skies
Summary: She was a lone pirate, in search of something that would give her answers for the life she lived. Family and friendship were things she didn't want, only because they were unattainable. But because of a certain ebony haired boy, who was too eager for his own good, she started to believe in something called 'nakama'. And her belief wouldn't die, even if his fate was unkind. Ace x OC
1. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One - The Lone Pirate_**

* * *

Her feet were sore. Not her legs, but the chains that held her feet were the reason she lost complete feeling in her toes. Her hands were also chained, and a brown cloak was covering her ragged clothes, her pitiful state was recognized by those around here on the pirate ship, there was no reason for her to continue living a life such as this one, was what anyone would think upon seeing her state.

But there was something that went unnoticed, however, since the cloak did a very good job of not showing it. Lots of pirates were around at the port, she knew that much, and all she was waiting for was one chance. An opportunity on which she would pounce like a tigress, because no matter how hard the circumstance, her will to live had not yet perished. A ghostly smile was plastered on her face; she knew it was almost time for her escape.

Because she knew no man on the planet was stupid enough to actually challenge a pirate such as _him _to a fight. Especially since their ship was ten times bigger, and the crew incomparably larger. She knew it would be futile, and no soul on the ship she was on would survive, since the ship that was approaching was far more intimidating. It was her duty to let the crew know of who was approaching them, and just this once, she let it slide.

The smile on her face grew, and she bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from chuckling. If those on the ship were her crew mates she would not have done such a thing, but they were not her crew mates, like they had announced countless of times before.

"_You're just a slave girl we've abducted! You'll never be a part of this crew! You'll never be a part of any crew!_"

She didn't know about the latter part of their statement, but she knew she was not a part of this crew and she was glad. She wouldn't want to be a stupid, arrogant, spineless bunch of idiots who spent their time drinking and looting those who were below them. "And these idiots are going to challenge _Whitebeard_," She muttered to herself, and let out a chuckle of satisfaction. Like she had imagined, her time to escape was coming close.

It was over two months since she had been kidnapped, and she had let those idiotic pirates of the High Flo Pirate crew believe she was worthless. She had no idea why they called themselves High Flo, which was ironic since the captain was a dwarf like man. She had to admit, however, that even with an appearance that resembled one of Snow White's companions, the captain of the High Flo pirates, Flo Ving, managed to attain respect from the measly crew of misfits that he had obtained.

She was kidnapped by them one night, when she had a little too much to drink, and the crew had put her in chains ever since. It would have been easy for her to get out of those chains, but she stayed with them, pretending to be a navigator when all she wanted was the loot they had. She had gone by with a statement of hers from several years, a statement being the reason for her cold-heartedness.

"I'm a pirate, not a saint," she muttered and peered through the thick fog, the silhouette of the Moby Dick, Whitebeard's Ship, and the smirk grew larger. She held onto the cloak that was covering her, and listened to what the stupid captain had to say. "Who do you see, brat?" He said, his voice as squeaky as ever, a voice that feigned the regality that it thought it had, the ferocity that it thought would help conquer Whitebeard of all pirates.

So she squint her eyes, almost as if she were trying her hardest to see and a second later, she let out a low hum which evoked curiosity in the males around her. "I haven't seen that ship before," She said, faking a voice of someone submissive, later she could hear hordes of laughter around her, remarking of how they got their third loot that week. It wasn't as if she was lying, she truly hadn't ever seen the Moby Dick before, but they asked her what she saw and she told them just that. They didn't ask her the name of the ship, and they didn't ask her who it belonged to.

By assuming that she had come across every strong pirate ship, the High Flo pirates celebrated even before the looting had happened. 'Not like it's going to happen anyway, these retards are going to die,' she thought to herself and closed her eyes. The captain, Flo, walked toward the girl and kicked her down, letting her grumble with disgust. If only she weren't here for the loot she would have sent him flying, but she had to sustain her anger at least for half an hour. The loot they had acquired in the past week was large, but compared to Whitebeard, it was not even loot. She knew Whitebeard wasn't someone who would be interested in something as cheap as this.

Those two months had been hard, but she struggled for the loot and only the loot. It wasn't as if she had a family to return to, or a crew that worried about her. She had always been alone, and she would remain so, or that was what she believed. It wasn't in her fate that she would travel with companions, for those who were with her would end up with a quick demise and nothing short of that. Just like these pirates who were now marching forward to their deaths and Lord Death awaited them, in the form of Whitebeard.

She had heard stories of Whitebeard when she was a little girl. She knew he was considered to be a monster, the strongest man alive, and he was Gol D Roger's rival in the seas. Everyone knew who Gol D. Roger was, _the pirate king_, but Whitebeard was no less terrifying. She knew the pirates in his crew were all strong, and it was by far the largest crew ever to roam the seas. A pirate as strong as he was, was not interested in measly loot that she struggled for, and she was grateful for that. Although there was one thing she wasn't completely sure of –

– Whether she would be left alive in this coming battle. Which was why she wore the disguise of a slave, she didn't want to be seen as a challenge and have one of the Whitebeard pirates kill her. Most would think her way of life is the cheapest one of all, putting money and gold in front of everything else, but what else could she fight for? Like it was already mentioned before, she was someone without a family, and she was a pirate and not a saint.

The fog was clearing and the High Flo pirates were still rejoicing, the girl kept her gaze at the Moby Dick's shadow, and looked at nothing else. To say she wasn't scared would be a lie, and she knew she had to use her abilities to get out of this mess. She had no other alternative but to escape and escape was what she was best at. The shackles around her wrists annoyed her, but the ones around her feet irritated her the most. She was thankful the ones she travelled with her that dumb, for they didn't notice the silent joy she was feeling and the almost sense of freedom had already embraced her.

"Men! Sail diagonally to that ship!" the captain screeched and the girl sat down against the mast, covering herself entirely with the brown cloak. It was time.

Her eyes darted to the size of Moby Dick, with how majestic it seemed even from so far away. She knew those on that ship would have got the hint, that the High Flo pirates were asking to come beside them, and half of her mind wanted to watch the outcome, but she knew she couldn't stay all the while. Once Flo challenged Whitebeard, she had to run inside to grab the loot and escaping would come naturally.

"That…ship is large! Hey, brat! You sure you haven't seen this before?" The girl nodded, and the captain grunted and looked away. His little sense of pride was what was going to get him killed. The shackles were tight, and she could see the reddish bruise that had formed around her skin, a frown replacing the smirk that was on her features. A moment later, with a sudden thud, she was almost sent flying forward, but she grabbed onto the mast for dear life, preventing her from falling into the ocean. That would have been dreadful, for she couldn't swim.

She knew that they come into contact with the Moby Dick, the ship belonging to the strongest man that roamed the seas. For a seventeen year old, she knew enough about Whitebeard and about the fact that he was considered a monster by all, his eyes held malice and his treatment merciless. She had to escape before they had taken notice of her, otherwise she would be done for. Her grayish silver eyes stared at the silhouette of the larger ship and then her captain bellowed, "They're only big in size, fellas! Take 'er down!" a roar followed next, and she took cover behind the mast.

The events that followed next were nothing short of tragic. There was a blue light that surrounded the ship she was on, and her eyes landed on something she thought was mythical all her life. A phoenix was what she was staring at, and the bird hadn't taken notice of her yet. Then a loud voice bellowed, "Who is the captain of this ship?" it wouldn't take a genius to know who this voice belonged to. She held her breath, and stared ahead, seeing the bird drag her short captain out in front of the deck. A smirk went to her lips. 'He deserves this,' she told herself.

A moment later, she turned to the crow's nest of the ship, and knew she had to create diversion. A cloud was approaching the crow's nest and she knew she could use the cloud. She wasn't sure if they had taken notice of her, but she had to get away before they approached her. Her eyes darted to the blue bird, and her smirk vanished. There was no blue bird now, but on the place where the bird stood, stood a man with orange hair. 'A Zoan type…' She thought and turned back to the cloud that had so firmly caught her attention.

"How many pirates on this ship, Marco?" Whitebeard bellowed, and the girl hoped she was hidden well enough. "Fourteen, _oyaji_." She cussed. They had seen her! A second later, she was dragged forward by someone and she yelped as her head came in contact with the wooden floor of the ship. "She's a prisoner, _oi_." A voice said, and the girl sat up, the hood covering her face and her hands showing off the chains that bound her. Now escape was close to impossible. But, she had to try. "Release the prisoners." Whitebeard announced and her eyes widened.

She looked up to see a large man, no beard, but the light that was behind him, made it almost impossible to see his face. The hood fell from her head and her dirtied face made itself seen. Her shackles burned now more than ever, and a second later, they were off. She didn't ask him why, but like a bird that had now come free, a smile of satisfaction formed itself on her lips and she stood, wavering like a leaf exposed to a storm. "I don't think you should move, kid." The big man said, and she didn't care.

With one jump, she reached the crow's nest, gasps now surrounding her, and she grabbed the sack full of gold and held the flag of the pirate ship with her left hand. "Implode." She muttered for no one to hear, and the mast exploded violently, a screen of smoke cascading the entire ship. The bag of gold she had would sum up to at least one million beli, which was enough considering she didn't have mouths to feed. With a wide grin plastered on her face, and knowing that the light implosion wouldn't have hurt anybody, the girl hopped on the bowsprit, and turned back to see a bright blue light.

The phoenix had returned and this time, a half-man half-bird sprung to where she stood, and the girl looked down below to see nothing but water. But, that didn't faze her. "Where are you going, oi?" The male asked her, a little angry that she deceived them by pretending to be a helpless slave. She waved at him, and said, "Away from here. If I were you, I'd leave the ship, phoenix-_kun,_ it's going to explode," She turned to Whitebeard who stood without any sense of fear and she grinned widely, "Thanks for helping me! I'll never forget this!" With that the girl turned away and muttered, "Wing." Colorless gusts surrounded her, lifted her up in the air and the girl glided through the atmosphere, away from the ship, forever out of their reach.

* * *

Marco would have honestly followed her right then, but Whitebeard stopped his first mate before that. "That girl was a thief, oyaji." Marco said and Whitebeard wasn't bothered. "The air wreaks of dynamite, son." Whitebeard said and Marco nodded. "She mentioned something of an explosion. Devil fruit, I think, oi." Marco said, and Whitebeard said, "Let's go, we have nothing to do here. Next time we see the girl, we'll get her back." Marco grinned and headed back to the Moby Dick and the minute they set foot back on their ship, the High Flo pirate ship exploded. "She planned this, I think."Thatch said, and Marco nodded."She's good at using that devil fruit. Whatever it is." Thatch chuckled. "She must have thought we were interested in the treasure, oyaji. Her plan wasn't to fight us at all." Whitebeard smirked.

"She didn't seem the type of person begging to die, lads." With that they set sail once again, the Whitebeard pirates moving on in their cruise.

* * *

It didn't faze her if they called her a cheat; as a matter of fact she called herself one to begin with. Her style was unquestionably cowardly, but if she were to fight she wouldn't back down. With the sack of gold over her shoulder, Emilia walked the streets of the town with a sense of pride, having survived two months of torture from a silly pirate crew and escaped the wrath of the Whitebeard pirates, Emilia believed her hard work was paying off. As a thief, she sometimes forgot her morale, but that didn't make her any less of a human than she was.

She was a pirate, living the life of one, she had no place in her heart for pity, love and emotion. She was supposed to be cruel, and she was supposed to be unruly, which she tried to be. She was strong, having conquered forests before, having killed sea-kings at the age of ten, she could see the money-exchange not too far off and her grin widened. The brown cloak that she used to wear was not around her body anymore, and that exposed her attire to the streets she walked on. Her attire screamed, 'Pirate' more than anything else, and her black locks cascading down her shoulders. She was covered in dirt, but she didn't care. All she wanted was money, and she was going to get it.

Emilia wore a strapless black top that reached her hip, and brown shorts that let her roam free. She had black boots on and a stone bracelet around her left shoulder that resembled a snake. She wasn't sure if it was a snake or a dragon, but either way, it was a memorandum which she didn't want to lose. Her hair reached her lower back, black and straight, and her grey eyes spoke of arrogance and intimidation. She stood right outside the exchange office and hummed. "One step closer, I just can't wait!" Her grin changed to a teethy-smile. She walked inside the building, and almost fifteen minutes later, she walked out with a briefcase stashed with cash.

Emilia then checked the name of the town, it was somewhere in the Grand Line the name didn't matter much to her, and she knew right away that she was being watched. From the moment she stepped inside the building she could feel eyes on her, but as long as the eyes stayed far away, she didn't care. 'With this I can begin my search.' She thought and walked down the island, and Emilia stopped on her tracks when she heard someone follow her. She was no idiot, and she continued walking, luring them to a lone spot so that she could apprehend them. Years of training helped her master Haki, a skill that someone had taught her, and with that she survived before she acquired her Devil fruit.

With a sudden jolt, Emilia jumped in the air and turned to see a trail of fire, her eyes widening at the sight before her. She jumped on a building, the people gathered around to see what was happening. Emilia frowned and looked for the source and upon finding the person who attacked her, and she jumped down again, her hold on the briefcase tightening. "Who the hell are you?" She voiced, and before she landed on the ground she realized that she had been surrounded. The male who exerted the fire grinned, and Emilia wondered if she had seen him before. He wore an orange hat on his head, a yellow button-down shirt which was left unbuttoned, and cargo pants. He looked no older than she was. He wasn't familiar.

He was a rookie. Emilia frowned thinking this _rookie_ was after her money. "You're pretty jumpy, aren't you?" He asked her and Emilia cocked her eyebrow. She held on to the briefcase, and walked toward the male, counting the number of crew members he had with him. "Nine crew members, and with you – their _captain_, ten."Emilia said, and the attacker's eyes widened for a second. She stood her ground, and noticed the nine others gang up on her and Emilia took a deep breath. She huffed and frowned hard, emitting something only she knew how to control, and those around her collapsed, except the boy before her.

Emilia didn't understand how that was possible, unless the boy with the hat was actually strong. He did have a strange Devil fruit, after all. "What the…Conqueror's Haki?!" The boy exclaimed, and Emilia stepped forward and punched the boy, which he dodged in a brief second. "I'm a Logia type, you can't-"Emilia sprung forward and kicked the boy's stomach, sending him flying. "I hate _egoistic_ pirates," Emilia let out and the boy groaned as he stood back up. "Especially Logia types who think they can do everything." Emilia stood her ground and waited.

"You're after the money aren't you?"Emilia asked him and the boy frowned. "I don't usually fight girls," he muttered and Emilia cocked her eyebrow. "Chivalry? Hmpf, I think that's idiotic." The male smirked and said, "What if I am after the money?" Emilia frowned and said, "You're retarded to think I'll let you have it." The boy chuckled once and noticed how his crew mates stood back up. "You guys okay? She can use Conqueror's Haki. Don't be put off." Emilia chuckled this time. "If they had brains, they will be." Emilia clicked her tongue.

She didn't have time for this. "Okay, listen up, _boy_." The male quirked his eyebrow. "If you want the money, then it's all yours. I have a favor to ask." The male laughed. "I don't think I'm interested in errands right now-""If you let me sail with you through the Grand Line to the New World, then the cash is all yours." The male seemed interested. "I don't need protection; I don't need anyone fighting for me if the Navy is after me either. I won't even be part of your crew. You simply have to let me sail with you." The male thought about it.

"Captain, I think that won't really be a problem." One of the other pirates said, and Emilia calmed down slightly. He had a fire Devil fruit. That could cause problems for her. "Alright. When we sail the Grand line, your treasure is mine." Emilia nodded and extended her hand to shake his. "Let's shake on this. And let me tell you this, I never go back on my word." The boy spat on the ground and said, "Everyone says that initially." Emilia frowned and said, "I don't make promises at all. So if I do, then I'll keep it."

With that, he shook her hand. "Name's Emilia. Lone pirate without a crew." The male smirked and said, "Portgas D. Ace. Pirate captain of the Spade Pirates." Emilia smirked. He didn't realize that she simply planned on using him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Ah! Here's the Ace story that I've had in my head for like, AGES! Also, there are a few things I need to explain about this story. This has romance, but this does not in any way change the plot of how things went in the manga/anime. I was broken with how Ace's life was taken away, but coming to the story, One Piece wouldn't be able to move on without Ace's death. The OC (Emilia) in this story is my own. This story starts before Ace joined the Whitebeard pirates, and I already have a plot designed with how this story will move forward. I just hope I can keep everyone in character. She isn't Mary Sue, I know she can use Conqueror's Haki and everything, but there's a reason for everything I have mentioned above, which you will see in the coming chapters. Her Devil fruit abilities have not been explained either, but I will later on, and since this is just the first chapter I thought I'll maintain the suspense a little longer. Also, I've not translated 'oyaji' into 'Old Man' because 'oyaji' just sounds better._

_This is nothing like the other stories I've written before, I have worked very hard on this, since I will be going slow with every chapter. My plan is to develop Emilia's character outline as well as I can, and I don't want it to be rushed. Slow updates alert! I am no longer a freshman in college, and sophomore year is more stressful than I imagined. Enough of that, hehehe. There will be a lot of detail and background of Ace's life before he became one of the Whitebeard pirates, and they will be how I design, after all this is fanfiction. I just hope this story turns out as good as it is in my head. Read and review, my dears~! _

**One Piece belongs to Eichiro Oda. My OC (Emilia) belongs to me.©**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two - Storm_**

* * *

She didn't know all pirates were this stupid. Emilia sat on the deck of the new pirate ship, her briefcase firmly against her hip, her back against the amidships, the men jostling around and screaming with joy for God knows what. Emilia stared at the ocean, her thoughts wondering about whether she made the right choice of choosing to travel with the Spade pirates. She hadn't ever heard of them before, but since they were rookies who had managed to enter the Grand Line, she knew she didn't give them enough credit.

"Hey, why're you sitting over there all by yourself? Scared of a few men?" One among the stupid pirates teased her, and Emilia simply ignored him. She had no time for this; she had to be on the lookout for what she was in search of. Whitebeard was in the same sea they were in, and she wondered why that was. He usually sailed the seas in the New World, just like Red Haired Shanks, another name that brought in unexplainable fury inside her, but if he had business in the Grand Line, then it was something she had to look out for.

Emilia had a black cloak around her now, her hair in a loose pony-tail behind her. Her boots and the rest of her attire were pretty much the same, and it had been a day since she had met the Spade Pirates. Ace had not approached her after their deal, something she was thankful for, but she knew he kept his eye out for her, just in case she tried to escape. But, Emilia was not stupid, unlike the ones celebrating for no apparent reason. She darted her eyes to the herd of fools gathered in front of the deck, and watched as they bellowed with happiness and laughter.

Was this what they call _nakama_? She wondered, and turned her head away, clutching onto the briefcase tightly. Emilia didn't need this thing they called nakama, she didn't need friendship, her mind was of her own will, that was what she considered true freedom. Not having to risk your life for another, not having to live for another, this was what she called freedom. She hadn't ever come across anyone she held dear, but that one time. When she was a little girl, she had something she could call a family, but it ended right there. No one was ever truly blessed.

"You look so lonely and sad; I might actually pity you, girl-with-no-last name." Ace said, and Emilia did great in ignoring him. "I get the feeling you don't want to talk." Emilia chuckled at his next statement and said, "You've got good instincts. You should listen to them sometimes."Ace was annoyed, but he didn't show. He leaned beside the wall she was sitting against, and said, "Don't mope around on my ship. We've all got things to do, people to see. You're sitting there as if you're dying." Emilia shot up to meet Ace's gaze and said, "What if I am dying?" Ace turned blue. Emilia let out a giggle and turned away and brushed a hand through her hair before saying, "That was just to spite you. This wasn't part of the deal." Ace cocked his eyebrow.

"What isn't part of the deal? Talking to you?" Emilia shook her head and said, "No, giving a fuck for what I do. I can sit and mope around or do whatever the fuck I want, you don't have to save the time and bother yourself over why I behave the way I do. My past isn't any of your business and also, we're not what you call _nakama_, so buzz off, fire-boy." Ace torched his hand and brought it dangerously close to Emilia's face and said, "I can burn you-""I can use Haki and kick you out of this ship, but that'd be stupid considering you're the ringmaster to these line of freaks." Ace clicked his tongue and backed off. "You're right, I shouldn't bother about you. If you die anytime soon, then that treasure is-""All yours. That's why I'm here. Got it, now leave me alone." Ace turned on his heel and walked away.

There was one thing Ace couldn't understand about Emilia. Not the mere fact that she didn't have a surname or the fact that she could use Haki. She was no older than he was, but she was skillful enough to know how to use the Conqueror's Haki, something that confused him the most. She sat there all by herself, not giving a rat's ass about the celebrations on the ship, and unlike other women, Emilia wasn't the sensitive, submissive kind. He had no time to deal with her now, he had to sail through the Grand Line and go off to the New World. There, he would meet Shanks, someone he had to thank. A smile crept on Ace's face as he thought about talking to Shanks about Luffy, and a chuckle escaped his lips as he realized he had been thinking about his brother.

Ace turned to his first mate and said, "How long till the next island?" The first mate, whose name isn't too important, grinned cheekily and said, "No clue, Cap'n, we've been sailing for hours."Ace clicked his tongue and checked the Log Pose, but no answers came to him. "Great just when we-""Four hours headed north-east, we'll come to an island named Novita. If you're out of stock, you can re-fill there. It's got cheap prices and everything." Emilia said, and Ace turned to her direction and scoffed. "How do you-"Emilia grinned at the male and extended her left arm to reveal an Eternal Pose. Ace clicked his tongue. "Also be careful about that cloud over there. It's bringing a storm." Ace grumbled under his breath when he heard his first mate say, "Listen to the woman, men."

"Cap'n's usually the ladies' man, but you're really something else lass, making him angry and everything." A pirate told her, and Emilia blinked. "Ladies man? What, _him_? He woos ladies with what? His _hat_?" The crew laughed and Ace grunted, "Men, get ready for the storm, don't slack off and laugh." With one turn, Ace grabbed Emilia's cloak and yanked her away from the place she was sitting toward the deck. "You don't get to sit around and give orders, either. If you want to sail with us, then make yourself useful." Emilia grunted and said, "Oh, feisty. I like that in women."Ace frowned as Emilia stood up and turned to the briefcase. 'I have to do something about this,' she thought.

"It'll be better if you put it inside-""I know. I just don't trust you enough. You might take the money and throw me out of the ship." Emilia said emotionlessly, and Ace scoffed. "If I wanted to take the money and throw you out of the ship, I would have done it." Emilia sighed and said, "Sure. But, honestly, you need me to survive this storm. This is the Grand Line, the ship can capsize. I can stop that from happening. Apparently, storms are my specialty." Ace cocked his eyebrow as he helped pull the sails, "Specialty?" Emilia grinned and said, "You'll see." It was her confidence in her Devil fruit abilities that made her say those words, something she had learned to use in the past seven years. She was ten years old when she first ate it, as a matter of fact, she was forced to. "Yeah, you've eaten a Devil fruit, what's the power?" Ace asked, going to the deck and Emilia groaned as she said, "A little patience won't kill you, _Captain_." Ace frowned.

Emilia turned to the sky and smelt the air. It had the freshness of a storm, the usual smell before the rain fell in the sea. The odor consisted of the smell of the sea, the clouds and most importantly – the wind. Emilia turned to the male who stood beside the sails and said, "Pull them down." The male, whose name wasn't important, blinked. "We're going to sail _into_ the storm? Shouldn't we go past it-""Listen to me, we can't skip this storm. If we try, there'll be terrible winds and whirlpools which will most certainly be the death of us. So, do yourselves a favor and listen to me if you want to live." The male turned to his Captain and Ace nodded.

Emilia grunted. She turned to the men who weren't panicking enough and said, "See if you guys aren't convinced," She pointed to the north-east in front of them, to a large grey cloud which was too close to the sea and said, "That is a cumulus cloud. Want to know why it's so close to the sea? It's going to form a _waterspout_. Do you know what a waterspout is? It's a vortex; it's a tornado over water. It can kill us even before we touch the damn thing. We have to get past that, so the only way is to sail through the storm. And we can only survive the storm if you men put your minds into it. From the way you guys are acting, it's almost as if you want to die before we reach the other half of the Grand Line."

She didn't know if it was what she said, but there was a sudden rise in the tension on the ship. She was sure they had sailed storms before, but this storm was tougher than most she had seen, and she had been on the sea for over two years. If she could estimate how old this crew is, she would say that they had only joined together in the past few months or so, they clearly had no experience to sail at all. Ace, on the other hand, watched Emilia rather cautiously, because it was his first time coming across a storm such as this, and even if he wouldn't admit it, having someone who was experienced came to his advantage.

To the north west of where the Spade pirate ship was heading, the seas were relatively calmer but Emilia knew better than to sail through there. Always, in the Grand Line, the seas were unpredictable, and if there was a calm opening near a storm, then it only led to something worse. It was always a selection of worse choices, and you had to choose the best among the worse. Compared to a vortex, and an unpredictable danger, choosing a storm with a 45 percent chance of survival was the better option. Emilia bit her lip as she stood at the port of the ship, the ship now starting to rock left and right, crashing amongst the waves, and Ace frowned as it began to rain. He never liked the rain, but he knew this was just a drizzle compared to what was going to come.

"How long can the storm last?" Ace yelled, the loud crashing of the waves did no good in helping the sound of his voice travel, and Emilia heard him nonetheless. "If we're lucky, then fifteen minutes if we sail as fast as we can." The crew was startled. "Fifteen minutes?! What are you-"Emilia grinned as she stood on top of the bowsprit, the wind strong enough to knock her to the sea, but she didn't move an inch. Ace's eyes widened and he yelled, "What are you doing?! You can-""The wind can't hurt me." Emilia said, and grinned as they sailed closer to the stormy sea, the rest of the crew panicking. "Keep the sails down!" she screamed, as they were only a few meters away from the storm.

But, nothing happened after that. The wind suddenly stopped and the sound of the waves was replaced by a gushing sound of the wind, and all that the crew could smell was gunpowder and a dry smell of the desert wind. It was impossible, they were on the sea, and yet they smelt a dry wind, and as soon as Ace opened his eyes he could see Emilia standing on top of the bowsprit, her hands extended outward, and a thick layer of wind enveloping them. "We're headed north. Fifteen minutes is all I can do. If the storm doesn't clear after that, we can kiss our asses' goodbye." Ace didn't understand what was happening, and neither did his crew.

The thick wind barrier that enveloped them had to be Emilia's doing, he deduced, and he walked toward the mast to get closer to the woman. "What the hell-""Kaze Kaze no Mi. The Wind-Wind fruit. Impressive, huh?" Emilia grinned as she guided the wind barrier neatly around the entire ship. Ace would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed. A grin swept over his facial features and he turned to his men and said, "Prepare for impact, men!"After a roar of approval, Ace jumped closer to where Emilia stood and said, "You are useful, woman." Emilia scoffed. "I know that, don't need to be told." Ace chuckled.

Around fifteen minutes later, the barrier reduced in intensity, and Emilia broke out in a sweat. "There's a limit for how long I can keep that barrier active. After that, it drains so much energy I won't be able to stand." Emilia said, and let out a breath. The storm had cleared, which only meant that the storm wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Ace thought about it for a moment and then said, "Hey, I don't want your treasure." Emilia blinked and turned to the male and her jaw dropped slightly. "What? A change of heart because I saved all your lives?" Ace turned away and scratched the back of his head. "Join my crew-""No fucking way in hell." Emilia snapped, and horded to the deck to check on the briefcase. Ace grunted with embarrassment.

"Didn't go as well as you planned, huh Captain?" Ace grunted and said, "How much farther to the next Island?" The first mate chuckled and said, "Novita's an hour away Cap'n, the woman was right." At least she was useful.

She knew the question would come sooner or later, and she always said the same thing whenever any pirate asked her that. She couldn't join a crew, and she wouldn't. She didn't believe in something called '_nakama_', and there was no way she would risk her life to save someone else. She had long ago abandoned everything that she once held dear to her, only for selfish purposes and she had been living alright. She wasn't plagued with nightmares or traumatized with guilt like the stories said, and she was going to live this way for the rest of her life, that was what she had decided. Portgas D. Ace was a talented rookie, she wouldn't admit something like that to anyone, but she knew he was different. He wasn't an idiot, and in a few month's time he had managed together a crew and sail to the Grand Line.

She wasn't crew material. She wasn't pirate material. The only reason she was sailing the seas was to find someone. Her past was a memory, and the memory held more history than she realized, and that was why she needed to see that someone. She wouldn't understand what had happened in her past life if she didn't, it was a purely selfish cause, and yet she dove toward it with more determination than pirates searching for One Piece. In all honesty, she had no interest in treasure, as much as she pretended to have, but all she wanted was answers. And that one man can give it to her.

"You saved our butts, Emilia!" A crew member screeched and the woman ignored them. With their second reason to celebrate that day, Emilia wondered if she did the right thing by tagging along with these pirates. She turned to the untouched briefcase and sighed. She had to leave. She had no intention to travel with them, and she wasn't going to. Only Ace thought she would, now that she had proved to be useful. Only if he realized that it was all a plot, from the very beginning. Novita was where she would make her get away. Ace wasn't useful for her, she needed a ship, and any ship would do. But, what scared her was this one little thing.

_"__Don't leave Emilia! You can die! The sea is a dangerous place for a brat like you, what awaits you isn't freedom, it's death! The world is a deadly, cruel and dark place, there's no way you can survive, even with that ability of yours, lassie! Just give up and become my slave, for that's the life you have to live!"_

Emilia grunted, and bit her lip till a red bruise formed. A wanted poster was what she had when she started out two years ago, searching for the one man that had turned her life hell. Even though she had never met him, she knew he was the one responsible, for he was the reason she was alive. She gripped onto the poster as tightly as she could, the name had faded from the age of the paper, it was crumpled and brown, as it survived storms before. It was over twenty years old, and the paper had the picture of the man she needed to see. This was a side to her she would never show to anyone, and Emilia hid all her weaknesses behind a façade. She only hoped she wouldn't have to reveal anything to anyone in the near future. For being the daughter of a monster, gave her no sense of joy.

Just as she watched the pirates celebrate joyously, a smile crept on her lips. As soon as she realized she was smiling, she replaced it with a frown. This was what she was afraid of. _Getting along._ Finding a home. Learning the meaning of '_nakama_'. And she would prevent that from happening, any way possible.

In the end, all she wanted was to know her place in the world, whether if her reason to live was to steal and runaway, live a life of a lone pirate with no one to return home to. Was this why she was born? Was there an end to this? She believed with all her heart that the answers lay with that man, and her belief had led her to abandon everything that life had given her before. _Answers were important_; she sighed and then heard the crew scream as the island approached closer. Emilia was sure the time for her to stop betraying would never end, and she stood up, clutching onto the briefcase with a firm grip.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Chapter two came out faster than I expected, ah. I hope I made Emilia seem more mysterious in this chapter, because that was my intention. Hehehe. Ace is portrayed gentle and kind in other fanfiction stories, but he's actually a hot-head. That's what I think when I saw him in the anime. He might be a ladies man, that I can understand, with him being so good-looking and knowing what it does to people. (He walks around shirtless for God's sake!) But, when it comes to his crew or nakama, he knows when to get serious, and like his daddy, he has anger issues. He's not kind to everyone he meets._

_Hopefully after this chapter I might get more reviews, I really need to know how I'm doing so far and I trust no one but my dear readers, huehue~ _


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three - The Port Town Novita**_

* * *

Novita was not a special kind of town. It was rich enough to have a money exchange office and that was where Emilia was headed. As soon as she stepped down the ship, a hand gripped hers and Emilia grunted when she came face to face with the Fire Fist. "What are you doing?" She asked him, rather she snapped at him, and Ace cocked an eyebrow before saying, "I don't trust you enough to let you roam freely. What if you run away?" Emilia rolled her eyes and said, "Ah, wouldn't have thought of it. I won't run away. I told you I wanted to go to the New World, didn't I?"Ace chuckled and hopped down the ship, bringing the girl along with him. "Don't trust you, won't let you go alone."

Emilia grunted when she realized Ace was going to be following her. "We'll meet again at the ship by sundown." Ace informed the crew members and went off with the girl, letting her lead. "I can escape easily-""Whoa there, you caught me off guard when we first met. I can also use Haki, you know." Emilia stopped walking. She didn't know that. "When I first met you, I didn't know you could use Haki, didn't even expect it. But then you do use it and that was bewildering. Don't get me wrong, I don't know a lot of women who can use Haki." Emilia rolled her eyes before muttering, "Wouldn't be surprised if you didn't know women at all." Ace didn't hear that. "Where do you want to go? You seemed pretty eager-""You're following me. It's annoying." Emilia snapped, as Ace simply grinned.

Emilia frowned internally, knowing that she couldn't do much now. She had to state her plan to Ace; otherwise he wouldn't let it happen. She knew for one thing that he wasn't going to let her out of his sight, and even though that was an annoying fact, if she were in his shoes, she would have done the same. "Hey, listen…" She began, alerting the male and Ace hummed in response. "Carrying around this briefcase is a drag, so I was thinking I'd exchange it for something easier to carry around. That way, you can exchange it for something else when you get me to the new world. Gold's price increases every day, so that shouldn't be a problem. What do you-""Like I said, I don't trust you." Emilia turned to the male and said, "I'll let you choose the damn object too. It's only for safety. A briefcase is easier to steal when compared to jewelry or something. Try and use that brain of yours." Ace frowned.

"Do what you have to." In all honesty the male didn't really care about the money at the moment. What really stirred his curiosity was the woman's story. Why did she need to go to the new world so badly? What did she need to accomplish? She was a lone pirate, almost one of the only ones out there, and she was strong. She had a back-story, something anyone could have noticed, but Ace just didn't know what. He knew she wouldn't tell him either, and he wasn't going to ask. Emilia and Ace walked to a gold store and the girl turned to a gold bracelet that seemed expensive. She was an expert when it came to what costs how much, and not a soul could cheat Emilia into paying more than what the object deserved. The bracelet luckily was crafted from a unique form of gold, alloyed with another metal that was very rare. It had valuable gems in it, which would only increase it's price every day. It didn't take long for her to buy it.

"Why do you want to go to the new world?" Ace asked, unable to contain himself and Emilia turned to him and said, "Curious much?" The male didn't react to that and Emilia simply sighed. "Does it matter to you why? I just need to go there, it's my own business. Not yours. Like I said, you're not my captain. And we're not allies." Ace scoffed and said, "I just want to know what kind of trouble you'll be attracting, that's all." Emilia chuckled at that and said, "Is the Spade pirate captain afraid?" Ace glared at her before remarking, "No, just a little too generous to beggars like you." Emilia huffed and continued to walk. "Where are we going anyway? Novita's not a big enough island to keep walking like this-""To a bar. I'm sure that's where the crew is." Emilia rolled her eyes.

Once inside the bar, Ace and Emilia reunited with the pirate crew and she could see the ruckus that they were creating. _Pirates create uproars wherever they go, it's their nature to be loud_, she thought and found a lone table where she sat, and Ace's eye was clearly on her. She would escape but now was not the time. She had a glass of beer in front of her and Emilia took her time in gulping it down. She was nothing like the pirates she was travelling with, and calling herself a pirate was simply for show. There was no way she could be a pirate, which was out of the question. She was simply in search of someone and that was the only goal she had. If she had to cheat, she would do it without question, for she had no morals. She glanced at how happy the crew looked and she let out a breath. Suddenly, she frowned and looked to her left, sensing another presence. Before she could react though, a hand grabbed hers and the person pulled her close to his face.

"Would you look at this dame here, sittin' all by herself?" He was drunk for sure, and Emilia wasn't fazed. Ace quickly glanced at her direction and watched with amusement, knowing the girl would be fine on her own. "Say lassie, why don't you come along with me for a while? It'll be fun-"A second later, Emilia's foot was on the male's face and with one kick the male was sent flying to the other side of the bar. She brushed her clothes and let out a breath. "This is annoying." Ace and the rest of the crew broke out laughing at what had occurred, but it was only Emilia who thought it was nothing to laugh about. Men taunted her everywhere she went, it was nothing new, but there were times when she couldn't fight back.

"I'm heading back to the ship." She muttered and walked out of the bar, Ace secretly sending one of his crew to follow her. She knew she was being followed, she wasn't stupid. And the one who was following her was a full-grown man, which confused her. Why was a grown-man part of a pirate crew with a seventeen year old as a captain? She couldn't understand. "I know you're following me." She said rather loudly and the male laughed and kept pace with her. After a minute, the two were walking side by side and it was then Emilia took a close glance at the older male. Tall, muscular and a few scars on his shoulder. He was bald, and tan skinned, with a dark green open shirt and white baggy pants. He had a dagger stashed at his hip and he had a wide grin plastered on his face. "I'm sure you don't know what my name is." He told her and Emilia nodded.

"Don't care." She said and continued walking toward the ship. The man, whose name was Joel, laughed loudly and said, "I guessed you'd say that."It was after half a minute Emilia found herself asking, "Why are you part of this idiot's crew?" Joel let out a breath and said, "Because Cap'n's just full of dreams. It'd be a shame if he doesn't achieve them," Emilia could have laughed. "He might seem angry and rude, but once you get to know him he's quite the gentleman. You might think I'm just talking, but initially I didn't like him either. He saved my life, that man…helped me from the navy when the world shut me out. My own family cast me out because I chose to become a pirate. But, dreams are like that you know, once you have one, there's no stoppin' you. I grew up wanting to be a pirate. And, thanks to Cap'n, I had that chance." Emilia listened quietly.

"I don't know what you're story is, Emilia…but whatever it is, it's not worth throwing your life away. You aren't living life right now. All you're doing is surviving. You might think us pirates are idiotic, celebrating when there's no reason, but you'll never know when you die…" Emilia gulped. "Live now, think later…that's what Ace taught me. That man's gonna be a great pirate someday…a pirate great enough that even you'll think so." Emilia chuckled and said, "Say, what's your name?" Joel grinned and said, "Joel. Pleasure to meet ya, lassie." Emilia chuckled cone more.

It wasn't as if she would listen to him entirely, she was moved with the admiration Joel had for Ace, but that wasn't enough to change her mind. As they walked, Joel and Emilia noticed a crowd not too far off, and Emilia froze. "Oh, God…this isn't good." She muttered and Joel seemed to notice. The crowd prevented the two from seeing what was happening beyond it, and Emilia suddenly jumped on the taller male and said, "Hold still, I need to…" She didn't have to explain. As soon as she could balance herself on Joel's shoulder's, Emilia grunted and hopped back down. "It's the navy." Joel sighed and said, "There're navy folk everywhere, why're you so-""We have to leave the island." Emilia said, and Joel blinked with confusion. There was something she wasn't telling him, but now was not the time. Seeing Emilia this panicked urged Joel to take action and he said, "Head to the ship, I'll get the captain. And, Emilia…" the woman didn't move, "Don't run off."

'What makes him think that I'll listen to him? Not that I'm going to run away anyway,' Emilia frowned and rushed to the ship, making sure the marine didn't notice her. She knew for sure that they would identify her, and that was her only concern. She didn't have the energy and time to escape from the navy once again. Emilia noticed the ship, safe and sound by the docks and quickly went there, covering herself with the black cloak and waited for the rest of the crew to show up. She scurried to the place where she slept the previous night and noticed that her bag was untouched much to her satisfaction, and every one of her belongings were right where they were. A sigh of relief left Emilia's lips and she sunk to the floor of the ship and relaxed. _It's always this way_, she thought, _the navy never leaves me alone_.

* * *

Joel reached the bar immediately without hindrance. He didn't understand why the navy scared the girl as much as it did, but that was a story for later. He was told that they needed to get off the island, and the girl had saved all their lives so he at least owed her this much. When Ace noticed Joel come back alone, the male stood up with a frown on his face and he yelled, "Did the bitch run away?" Joel shook his head and said, "She told us we had to leave the island." Ace was confused. "Why?" Joel shrugged and said, "She panicked after noticing a few marines, but I thought there was a reason." Ace grumbled and smacked Joel on his shoulder, not too hard, but enough for a warning and said, "She might have cheated you. She's probably running off now, with the treasure."For some reason, Joel didn't think she was the sort.

Ace and the rest of the crew split up, but it was then he realized that the navy had found him there. A marine, whose name isn't too important, approached Ace and smirked widely before saying, "Portgas D. Ace, with a bounty of 200 million belli. This is such a pleasant surprise." Ace frowned. 'Maybe she wanted to avoid this shit?' He thought and groaned before readying himself for battle. Ace jumped forward, burning the marine's hat, which caught him off guard and then kicking the man down. Ace grabbed on to his shoulder and turned his left hand into a torch before muttering dangerously, "What brings the navy here?" The marine, who looked like he was going to wet himself, gulped and stammered, "T-they informed _she_ was with you…" Ace cocked his eyebrow. "Who's _she_?"

"Emilia the Sylph!" the marine shrieked, and Ace frowned. "_Sylph_?" The marine nodded and then let out a breath as he realized his team had arrived. "Men, let's take em' down." Ace ordered and a roar of enthusiasm later, a fight ensured. During the entire battle, all Ace could think of, was why the navy was tailing Emilia the way they were. Sure, this meant that she had a bounty and that she was a famous pirate, but so was he. It wasn't something to brag about, but the navy didn't tail him around like that. After finishing the fight, which didn't take too long, Ace and the crew headed to the ship, which was untouched and the fire user noticed Emilia sitting by the dock, alone. "So she did have a legitimate reason to evade the marines." Joel muttered and Ace sighed.

After approaching her, Ace turned to his men and said, "Set sail, men!" After a loud cheer, Ace smiled and turned to the girl who sat quietly, staring into the sea. The male walked over to her and before he could say anything Emilia was the first to speak. "Don't. I know what you're going to ask me." Ace cocked his eyebrow. Emilia turned to him and said, "You're going to ask me why the navy was tailing me. I don't want to explain myself, so don't bother."Ace chuckled and said, "Aren't you too full of yourself? Not an attractive quality for a woman." A chuckle escaped Emilia's lips as she said, "Don't really care, _Cap'n_." Ace leaned to the side of the deck and said, "I was only going to ask you why they call you Sylph. Isn't that supposed to be some mythological creature?" Emilia scoffed. "Marines have weird tastes for naming people. They call you _Fire-Fist,_ don't they?" Ace didn't think it was weird.

"I asked you once before. I needed to know your story because I want to know what my crew is going to deal with." Ace said, sternly and Emilia let out a breath before saying, "I used to work for the navy as a spy," Ace blinked with surprise. "What?" Emilia chuckled. "I used the methods they had to find out something about myself. After which, I left. I just needed the information. I don't really care about the marines. They suck in my opinion," Ace didn't say anything. "What? I thought you didn't trust me. This shouldn't be too much of a shock, right?" Ace turned his head away and said, "They suck in my opinion too." His voice was glum and Emilia sighed before standing up to leave. "What'd they do to you? Kill a friend?" With that she walked off, leaving the male behind. Ace brushed a hand through his thick black hair and muttered, "…yeah, they did just that."

* * *

"Oyaji, look at this!" Marco rushed to where Whitebeard currently sat and showed him a few wanted posters. "Doesn't she look familiar, oi?" Marco grinned and noticed a smile crawl upon Whitebeard's features. "She's that squirt. The wind girl." Marco chuckled and leaned against the wall before saying, "They're calling her Sylph. Because of her devil fruit. Her bounty's a hundred and eighty million. She was a marine before she left, and now they're after her because they feel used, that girl's clever oi." Thatch, who was also in the room, laughed loudly before he said, "She has a knack to make people want to kill her. She's reckless." Whitebeard nodded before staring at the wanted poster.

"Black hair, black eyes, and a look of anger plastered on her face…she's after something." Whitebeard muttered and let out a breath. "She owes us though! For saving her life! I mean, come on. She even told Marco about the bomb-""There was no bomb, oi. That was her devil fruit." Marco interrupted Thatch who seemed baffled. "What? I thought you said she had wind abilities. How can she make something burst like that?" Marco turned to the brown haired pirate and said, "It was implosion. She used the wind pressure to increase the density of the flag pole before causing an implosion. It wasn't an explosion at all. She did that just to escape." Thatch let out a whistle before commenting, "She'd make a good addition to the crew, don't you think Oyaji?" Whitebeard hummed before muttering, "Where is this girl from?"

Marco smiled at the question, almost as if he were expecting it. "Loguetown," Whitebeard smiled a teethy-grin as he studied the picture. "Emilia the Sylph," Marco muttered once more, and walked out of the room.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Ah, so here's chapter three! Sorry for the wait, I was busy with...well, a lot of things. I don't really know why, but I sense Oda has this weird sixth sense that tells him what his readers will say once they read what he writes. You know what I mean? I mean, in Dressrosa arc, with all the latest events that are unfolding, I just can't sit back and figure out what Oda's trying to do. Sure, go make someone cool like Doffy the antagonist, because everyone thinks ten-foot tall men are villains, yeah. And Law's such a badass. He changed the damn symbol of the Don Quixote Pirates to the Heart Pirates by drawing a circle over it. Talk about creativity. Huehue. But, seriously though, Oda is one awesome story-teller. Genius, that guy._

_Anyway, yeah, Emilia's kind of famous. There's a reason for it, as you all probably already figured out. Whitebeard spoke about her (how cool is that?) I really love Whitebeard. I __wept like a sissy__ cried when he died. If you ask me, Whitebeard's death was more tragic than Ace's. Coming from someone who would probably name her son Ace, it's a lot. Read and review, my loves~! _


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four - Escape**_

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Emilia didn't like nightmares. They told her about her past, and every time she woke up from one, she never screamed or broke out in a sweat like everyone else. She woke up angry, and tired and ashamed of herself. Unlike other nightmares, hers spoke of her past, of the incidents that really occurred, incidents she could have stopped if she wanted to. It was her guilt that ate her from the inside and Emilia lived with it because it was her own selfish satisfaction that kept her going. She had to find someone. She had abandoned everything, even her humanity for that one thing. The girl noticed that the ship was quiet and she stepped out of her room to the deck. She wondered if anyone was on guard duty, but she didn't care. Her gold bracelet was with her and she wasn't going to run away.

_Not yet_, she thought and let out a breath which was followed by a tuft of smoke. The air was chilly and the strong winds did nothing to cause any sort of shiver in her body. Winds didn't affect her whether it was cool or warm. Her hand brushed her dark hair and she tried to remove every tangle in them, cussing when it seemed difficult to remove a few. She wore her strapless black tank top and brown shorts, she was barefooted and this attire would have caused anyone to think she would freeze, considering how cold the weather was. She walked to the front of the ship and admired the silence of the waters. It was something she always found solace in. Her face had a calm expression and she said nothing.

She could tell from her Eternal Pose that they were entering the magnetic field of a winter island, and judging by the change in weather, they weren't too far off either. She knew the island, it was where she had to go and begin her journey on her own. There was someone there she had to meet, someone who could lead her into finding whom she wanted to find. But that was for later. She had to leave the Spade Pirates because she found herself getting attached to the crew, she wasn't friendly with anyone openly, but Joel had tried befriending her and a few more days to that and Emilia would definitely fall into that trap. There was no way she found the captain friendly, but it was Joel with whom she had a heart-to-heart talk to. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to leave when the time was right.

"It's too cold out here, what're you doing?" A familiar voice said from above, and she only guessed that he was up in the Crow's Nest watching her. She didn't reply immediately but a while later she hummed and let it go. There was no point in talking to someone she didn't want to, and it wasn't as if Ace was anywhere close to being her friend. If there was one person she trusted least in the entire crew then it had to be Ace, and she trusted no one. Ace was a captain, a famous pirate, strong even. She knew he had enough strength to go against her in a fight and he was equally cunning, she hadn't witnessed it yet, but she could tell he had been through a lot before and that was how he was so strong now. "I didn't know you were a marine," He said, his voice now behind her. Not too close, for that she was thankful.

She turned around and gave him a look that said she didn't care. "You don't know me, _Captain_." She didn't call him 'captain' because she respected him. Even he knew that. "I'd prefer it if my _crewmates_ are the only ones who call me Captain, Emilia the Sylph," He said, and Emilia groaned loudly. She raised her hands in the air and then brought them back down in defeat. She felt every need to punch the man's face at that moment, but she held herself back. "Don't call me that, and I'll call you whatever you want me to." Ace wasn't amused. "Anything but captain." Emilia rolled her eyes. "Portgas." Ace didn't say anything to that. "So, you've revealed to us that the marines are after you." Ace finally said, walking to the edge of the ship, and leaned against it. He was staring at Emilia now, who seemed to have found a comfortable spot by the mast.

"Does it bother you? I thought marines chased after pirates all the time," Emilia fought back with a grin which Ace returned. "Well, pirates need no back story, but you seem like you have one." Emilia watched the male carefully and then said, "Why does it matter to you what my story is? I told you it was a deal. You're doing this just for the money, Portgas. Not to become my friend in anyway." Ace nodded. "It's human nature to be curious." Emilia scoffed at Ace and turned her head away as she said, "And it's my nature to be secretive." Ace wouldn't admit it, but he sensed some sort of spunk in her that he appreciated in a way. But, since she was no friend, he acted like it annoyed him.

"What if I say that the deal's off?" Ace's words didn't shock her but made her laugh. She looked at the sky, the richness of the dark blue almost made her sigh with awe. There was the moon, but it wasn't full, and the whiteness of the moon reminded her of milk. The smirk on her lips was now replaced by a frown. _The whiteness of the moon reminded her of something else as well._ She turned back to Ace and said, "Do you think you can take me on, Portgas?" Ace let out a breath, which he did so because he wasn't engrossed with what she asked him and said, "Don't flatter yourself Emilia, you are no match for me." Emilia frowned.

She stood up and walked over to the male and placed her hand against his chest, which was bare at the moment, his yellow shirt had been discarded somewhere else and his orange hat was missing. With one push, Ace winced and his hand grabbed hers and the two fell off the ship, "You're a devil fruit user too-"Emilia chuckled and grabbed his wrist, and submerged his body neck-up in the ocean. Emilia stood beside him, on the water, and smirked at him, her hand firmly holding onto his. "If I let go, you die," She said and Ace didn't understand. He felt the strength in him fade little by little and he grumbled. "How the hell…are you…" He couldn't even complete what he wanted to say, but she knew what he was curious about.

"You think I'm standing on water," She said and it was then Ace saw where she was standing. There was a thin layer of air that was on top of the surface of the ocean and Ace was flabbergasted. "I can walk on air," She finished and Ace chuckled once and said, "Well, water is my weak point. And if I pull you down you drown with me," Emilia nodded and stood up, pulling the male up with her. She grabbed onto him and the two jumped back to the ship which hadn't moved too far ahead. "But, you wouldn't have done that," She told him, her back facing him and Ace didn't utter a word. She knew she was right. And so did he.

"I don't want to talk to you, Portgas. I don't want to talk to anybody. My story is my own, and if I didn't ask for yours, you don't ask for mine. It's fairly simple. I'm just a travel companion. You don't have to look out for me. And I won't look out for you. If it's that much of a matter of pride to you, then you can call of the deal and drop me off at the next island-""No, we came so far. I'm taking you to the New World." Emilia bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't want that. "_Great_," She muttered with no enthusiasm at all.

"How can you stand the cold?" he asked her next and Emilia turned to him and blinked. "I'm wind, man." Ace frowned. "Whatever," He said and jumped back to the Crow's Nest, pretending not to be amazed, and tried to get some sleep. Emilia walked back to her room again, and laid on her bed. She had another bracelet with her, the black stone bracelet which she didn't wear like one. She had it around her upper left arm, below her shoulder. It spoke of a story that was so tragic, that Emilia didn't realize she had tears in her eyes as she thought back to it. But before she went any further with her thoughts, she calmed herself and forced herself to go to sleep.

They reached the island the next day, around noon and Emilia was the first to hop off. Ace grumbled and ordered Joel to follow behind her and he did as he was told. Ace would follow right behind her, but something was wrong. Before Joel could even jump down, there was a loud explosion and the mast of the Spade Pirate ship fell. Emilia turned to them, from on top of the building and smirked. "Get them, men," she said and a group of marines rushed after the Spade Pirates, and it was at that moment Ace recognized that paper she was holding. He knew she held onto someone's wanted poster, but he didn't know who it was. _It was his._ "This was _your_ plan!?" Ace screamed at her and Emilia shrugged as if she was innocent. "Don't think pirates are the only ones who can con," She said and waved at them, and jumped off.

Ace was infuriated. He had never been this angry before, and to think that he was outnumbered by the marines was preposterous. He knew he couldn't trust her, but even after all that, he ended up believing she wanted something that would cause her to stay with his crew. He believed she wasn't a spy, but she was probably the only spy who revealed that she was one and still didn't get caught. "Captain! She was a-""_I know!_ Prepare for a fight." There were many things he didn't understand. If she was the Wind-Wind no Mi user, then how had she blown up the mast? Why did she target the Spade Pirates? Why had she lied so much when it wasn't even necessary? And why, this was what Ace hated the most, had she made her lies so believable?

It was almost as if, she tried to con Ace with the truth. There was no way she had no back story. And now, Ace was more determined to figure it out than before. And he would never forgive her, she had endangered his crew and exposed him. She had betrayed his trust, and broken the deal, something Ace wasn't too fond of. He was sure he would make her pay. And even if she was a woman, he just didn't care anymore.

His hands turned to fire and he burned everyone in sight. It was a dazzling sight for an onlooker who was not scared of battle. The Spade Pirates looked on to their Captain with a newfound admiration; it was a sight they surely couldn't miss. Ace jumped in the air, twisted and burned everyone in sight, sure not to kill them, but enough so that they wouldn't be able to follow him. He knew his bounty would only increase after this feat, but he didn't care. He sent a gush of fire straight against four marines with guns ready to fire, and they didn't know what hit them. The fire that came out of Ace's hands shone brightly with his orange hat, he was like fire personified. _No one could defeat him._

After the battle which wasn't too easy, since by the end of it Ace was exhausted. "Captain, what now?" His crew mate asked him and Ace's anger hadn't left him. He was still burning and his ire shone with every pore on his body. His crew mate stepped back and Ace said, his voice dangerously low, "We find her," And they judged by his voice that Emilia, if found, would not leave again.

It was probably only Joel who had felt a little compassion for the girl. He felt betrayed as well, but he was the only one who believed she had no other choice. It didn't seem like she was lying to him they she desperately wanted to get away from the marines before. Even if it was an act, even if she did try and con the entire crew, Joel had the mindset that she had a reason to do it and once they figure out what the reason was, they'd know she wasn't at fault. It was the circumstance that drove her into doing something like that. And he knew one more thing which was vital. Her past was connected to her betrayal.

* * *

Emilia had to _rush_. The marines in the island had not yet heard of her betrayal to them, and this was what led her to force them into charging at the Spade Pirates. She had contacted them via a den den mushi back at the pirate ship and they had listened keenly. But, now they knew she was here and before they contacted the Marine headquarters, she had to make a run for it. She knew the marines that went after Ace wouldn't hold him back for long either, and when Ace was free she knew for sure he'd come after her. Her getaway had to be quick and she prayed and hoped that the pirate ship was here.

If her calculations were right, then it should be. The pirate captain she was thinking of was a fool who had once helped her get away from the marines when she had lied to him about a treasure she would lead him to. It wouldn't be too hard to con him once more, being so treasure loving as he was; the red-nosed pirate strove for only that. 'Where are you, Buggy?' She cursed as she ran to the other end of the island, her Eternal Pose leading her to him exactly. She had to admit, Buggy was an idiot but he did come in handy at times such as these. The last time she had met him was when he saved her from the Marines when she first escaped from them. She had lent him a Log Pose which she had hoaxed. Her Eternal Pose would lead to the location where that Log Pose was, and that was how she knew Buggy was in this island.

It wasn't her plan from the beginning. She didn't have Ace's poster at all, she had collected that in the previous island. The poster she had was of someone else, and since Ace knew she had a poster, and he did not know whose it was, she knew he believed she had plotted this all along. She had cast off an implosion on the Spade Pirate ship mast, and that alerted didn't matter to her; she had planned to con him anyway, so she felt no sense of regret in doing what she did. There was this little part of her that questioned whether what she was doing was really worth it. Whether what she was doing was going to get her what she really wanted. She ignored the part of her mind as casually as she could and began to look for Buggy's ship. He was her means of escape now, and she couldn't waste time thinking of Portgas.

She couldn't find Buggy's ship. She checked her Pose once more it pointed to the dock before her, but the ship wasn't there. 'What the hell?' She hated this. She turned around breathing a little quicker than before and licked her lips, trying to calm down. What if he had seen through her Pose and threw it to the ocean? That meant she couldn't get out of the island and her plan failed. Emilia couldn't afford that.

"Nice to see you again, Emilia the Sylph," A familiar lazy sounding voice said and she couldn't turn. If she moved, her legs which were now ice would break. "Kuzan…_nice to see you_," She muttered and he offered her a chuckle. "I'm not with the marines right now," He said to her and her eyes widened as she felt the warmth come back to her feet. "So I have no reason to attack you," He said and she turned to him and craned her neck to see his face. "Why are you here then?" She asked him and he scratched the back of his head and said, "I think I got lost," Emilia chuckled and said, "If you were in your right mind you'd capture me," Kuzan nodded and said, "I haven't been ordered to and I follow only orders," Emilia was thankful. "But, Emilia do know this…if I'm ordered to find you, I will kill you." Emilia nodded.

"Did you find the Buggy Pirates here?" Kuzan hummed and said, "I might have. But, they're clearly not here anymore," Emilia was red with anger. She didn't know why she asked what she did next, but she did. "Are you going to attack the Spade Pirates?" She asked next and he sighed. "No, I guess I won't." She didn't understand. What was he here for? She ignored all of her thoughts and rushed to the ship. Kuzan watched her, but said nothing. "Don't get killed, Emilia…" he said and walked away, wondering why he approached her while he was so comfortably sitting back at the bar.

* * *

_Buggy was no fool._ He knew just where to put his ship so that the marines don't find him. But, the minute he walked through town with his crew he saw a whole bunch of marines rushing toward the dock opposite to where he had docked his ship. He froze, but his crew as amazed. "Captain Buggy! You knew just where to land on the island to avoid the marines! They don't even see us!" he knew it wasn't that they didn't see the Buggy Pirates. It was because they had seen something much more significant that they didn't want to attach his crew. But, his crew needn't know that.

"See! I told you, who do you all think I am?! I am Buggy!" he laughed with fake confidence that his first mate saw through but said nothing against. "Captain Buggy, why are you still using the Log Pose that the girl gave you? She did con us," Buggy cussed at the recollection of the incident and checked the Log Pose once again. His first mate showed him the new Log Pose that they had acquired and he said, "Let's use the one we stole from the bar, Captain! Throw that damn girl's Log Pose into the ocean!"

_That seems like an idea,_ Buggy thought and they boarded his ship. He was glad with the loot that he had at present and as soon as he boarded, he plopped the Log Pose into the ocean and screeched with happiness. "Let's set sail, boys!" A cheer followed and the Buggy Pirates set sail once more.

* * *

Ace was with Joel, and his crew had split up into two teams. The anger hadn't left, but as he kicked off an unconscious marine, he heard the den den mushi ring and he picked the call, but didn't speak anything. "This is Navy Headquarters! We heard that Emilia the Sylph has landed on the island is that true?!" Ace looked at Joel who in turn looked right back at him and Joel said, "Yes, she has." The den den mushi without suspicious spoke back, "Capture the traitor at all costs! She cannot leave the island! Once you capture her, prepare for execution! There is no need for permission!"

Ace was frozen stiff. "Can I ask why she has to be executed?" It seemed like the person at the other end was taken aback by the question but spoke anyway, "Did you forget she killed Vice Commander Bristoff before she left the marines!?"

This was enough for Ace to need a reason to look for her.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**__ Woah. I took a long time to write this one, I had this whole scenerio planned out and it didn't turn out like I wanted it to however, I am happy I'm maintaining a shadow in Emilia's past. Huehue. This story might have like 40 chapters or something, and with the pace I'm going in it might take long, but worry not! I'll try and update just as quickly as possible. Sophomore year in college is a drag, I find no free time to do anything but assignments and presentations. Ugh. ._

_Ace is someone I can never forget. It's been over a year since I saw him die (I was well behind One Piece at the time), and every time I think about Ace my heart jumps. There's a possibility that I might look for Ace-like qualities in a man in the future, but you know what's happening to me these days? I've been wanting a bit of Sabo-like qualities in men too. UwU. I'm bad, I guess. Anyways, read and review my loves~! I always love reading what you think of my story! _


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